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Paragraph 2- Respond to the following post

Paragraph 2- Respond to the following post

Please write a paragraph responding to the discussion bellow. Add citations and references in alphabetical order.

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Ranking the importance of each of the four principles is not easy. They are all very important and provide an important background for making ethical decisions. I thought it was interesting that the author made a point to let the readers know that although autonomy was the first item listed, it was not the most important.

I agree with the author that autonomy is very important but does not trump all other principles or values. I believe that beneficence is the most important value and therefore I start my list with it. “The common morality requires that we contribute to others’ welfare, perhaps as an embodiment of the Golden Rule” (Lawernce, 2007, p. 1). It is important that in the healthcare setting we include the patient on our decision. Most patients wish to be provided various levels of information, and may wish to select a particular direction for their care because in their view that is the greatest good. Because this may differ from the healthcare provider’s perspective, a tension is created.

Second on my list is Justice as the next important biomedical ethical principle. According to (Lawrence, 2007) justice address the questions of distribution of scarce healthcare resources, respect for people’s rights and respect for morally acceptable laws. Justice represents one of the thorniest issues that a country can face, and in the United States is a source of ongoing concern and political rancor.

Next, I rank nonmaleficence. I strongly believe that we should do no harm to our patients or anyone for that matter. In the healthcare setting we have to always evaluate what the result of our future actions will be before we actually do them. An example of this is when a doctor ordered hypertension medicine on my patient who did not have high blood pressure. I went directly to the doctor and asked why he ordered the medication, and it ended up that he did it on the wrong patient. Had I not investigated the issue, I would have possibly caused harm my patient and to the patient who would not have received the med that was in a hypertensive crisis.

Lastly, I rank Autonomy as an important value but not the most important value of biomedical ethics. The reason I chose to put it last is due to the fact that not all patients are capable of making autonomous decisions. To be autonomous requires a person to have the capacity to deliberate a course of action, and to put that plan into action. This creates a problem when it comes to the delivery of health care, especially when patients are comatose, imcompetent, (whether due to age- i.e., children, or to mental ability).

I believe the Christian biblical narrative would disagree with the order I believe biomedic ethics are ranked in. Florence Nightingage is a good example of a dedicated Christian who seemed most concerned about the ethical implications of religious belief; she created an alternative concept of God that would appeal to most everyone so they would have a basis of morality. Influential nursing leaders at the turn of the century railed against the idea of nursing as a religious calling. Tension between the secular and religious influences in nursing was the common practice of deaconess hospitals’ establishing schools of nurs-ing based on the Nightingale system, so that, until the establishment of bacca-laureate nursing programs, the two philosophies—service and professional-ism—developed side by side (Hillstrom. 1995). With that said, I would suppose that the Christian biblical narrative would rank the biomedical ethics in this order:

References

Hillstrom, E., (1995). Testing the Spirts. Downers Grove Ill. InterVarsity Press Received from

Paragraph 2- Respond to the following post

Paragraph 2- Respond to the following post

I currently work in a Level II Neonatal Intensive Care Unit in Wisconsin, and rarely see death or dying on my unit.

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There have been a few fetal demises on the Labor and Delivery unit, but we do not deal with any of those cases. However, in Colorado I worked at several jobs where I dealt with death daily. I started out my career in nursing homes where I cared for many elderly people that were dying from a multitude of conditions like cancer, and heart disease just to name a few. I also worked in two inpatient Hospice units that I really enjoyed. It was hard to see these individuals and families go through the pain they dealt with for so long. Many did not have family nearby, so they were alone left with the caregivers or nurses to provide them with strength and hope. I cared for these people for many years and felt that it was where I was needed at that time. Some nurses expressed that they hated death and did not last long at that job. I believe that it takes someone special to deal with death, someone that is open-minded and has a warm heart to accept that life can end as many of the patients are scared and need that support. I feel it is important that the best compassionate care is given as the mood is kept lighthearted so that they can reminiscence about the good and bad times. I think this helps the family to understand the process without being overwhelmed and to help them accept what is happening. Many had religious views or requests when they died, and I did all I could do to respect their wishes. Examples were to have a Chaplain at the bedside when they died, or have a prayer read by staff when they passed on. I felt comfortable being at the bedside and felt at peace knowing that these individuals would no longer suffer from the pain of their disease. The staff members would go through the grieving process just as the family would so counseling was offered. Watching these people die made me respect the fact of life is short and nothing should be taken for granted. Today I feel that I can handle the death of an adult better than an infant or child. I know I would feel comfortable to cry with the family as emotion is normal during the process. Death is a fact of life in my opinion, when it is your time to go, it is your time. Fighting death can only make the experience harder for the individual. Because of the experiences I have had as a nurse, I feel that I accept death better than my coworkers. With the loses I have had in my life, I also go through some of the grieving process intermittently, only it does get easier year after year. I live my life every day to the fullest giving myself time to be happy, sad, mad, but grateful for what I have.

Shelly, J., & Miller, A. (2006) Called to Care: A Christian Worldview for Nursing. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.

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